1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector with a partial connection preventing function and to a method for assembling such a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A connector with a partial connection preventing function is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,542. This connector includes male and female housings that are connectable with each other. A lock arm is provided in the male housing and a slider is mounted above the lock arm in the male housing. Compression coil springs also are provided in the male housing for biasing the slider. The female housing is formed with a lock for engaging the lock arm and pushing ribs for pushing the compression coil springs. When the housings are fitted to each other, the lock arm is deformed resiliently by the lock and moves onto the lock, and the compression coil springs are compressed resiliently by the pushing ribs and accumulate biasing forces that act in a direction to separate the housings. If the connecting operation is interrupted halfway, the biasing forces of the compression coil springs are released to separate the housings and prevent partial connection. The lock arm is restored resiliently to engage the lock when the housings are connected properly. Thus, the biasing forces of the compression coil springs are released to move the slider backward.
The pushing ribs are provided before the slider along the connecting direction. Thus, the slider must be moved back to return the compression coil springs when the housings are connected. However, this construction makes the connector longer in the connecting direction by the distance the slider is moved back.
In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to make a connector with a partial connection preventing function that is smaller in the connecting direction.
The invention is directed to a connector with first and second housings that are connectable with each other. The first housing has a resilient or elastic member for accumulating a biasing force that acts in a direction to separate the housings as the two housings are fit to each other. The resilient member has a pushable portion that can be pushed by a pushing portion in the second housing. A guide is provided for guiding the resilient member at an angle to the connecting direction. Thus, the resilient member is displaced to a position where it is no longer pushed by the pushing portion, thereby moving the resilient member forward as the housings are connected properly.
The pushing portion of the second housing pushes the pushable portion of the resilient member when the housings are fitted to each other. Thus, the resilient member is compressed and accumulates a biasing force that acts in the direction to separate the housings. If the connecting operation is interrupted, the biasing force accumulated in the resilient member is released to separate the two housings. As a result, partial connection can be prevented. As the two housings are connected properly, the pushable portion is guided by the guide in a direction that intersects the connecting direction and into a position offset from the pushing portion. Thus, the resilient member elongates forward and releases the already accumulated biasing force. Consequently, the connector can be small in the connecting direction, as compared to a prior art connector in which the resilient member is moved backward along connecting direction.
According to a preferred embodiment, the pushing portion is provided at a nonresilient portion of the second connector housing.
The resilient member initially may be arranged substantially along the connecting direction. More particularly, the resilient member has its rear end mounted on a supporting portion in the first housing, and has its front end mounted on a movable element that includes the pushable portion. The guide guides the movable element as the housings are connected properly to cancel the pushed state of the pushable member and the movable member is held in an upwardly sloped inclined posture from its rear end toward its front end. At this stage, the resilient member with its rear end mounted on the supporting portion is held in an inclined posture similar to the movable element.
The connector can be small in a direction that intersects the connecting direction, as compared to a case where the movable element extends along the connecting direction when the housings are connected properly. Further, the resilient member can be held in an inclined posture. Thus, stress on the resilient member low as compared to a case where the resilient member is bent if the movable element is held in such a posture extending along the connecting direction with the housings properly connected.
The movable element preferably contacts a stopper in the first housing and is supported by the outer surface of the second housing while causing the resilient member to accumulate the biasing force when the housings are connected properly. The stopper preferably is slanted to guide the movable element to its initial position by the biasing force accumulated by the resilient member as the second housing is separated from the first housing.
The inclined movable element loses the support of the second housing if the properly connected housings are separated. Thus, the biasing force accumulated in the resilient member is released and the slanted stopper guides the movable element back to its initial position. Operability during separation is good because the movable element returns automatically to its initial position.
The movable element preferably is pivotable about an axis so that the movable element can be oriented substantially parallel to the connecting direction or in a slanted orientation where its longitudinal axis is at an angle to the connecting direction.
The pushable portion that is in the slanted orientation is not pushed by the pushing portion as the two housings are connected properly.
The second housing may comprise a substantially tubular receptacle with an open front, and the pushing portion may be formed by an opening edge of the receptacle. Thus, the second housing need not have a special pushing portion, and its construction can be simplified.
The invention also is directed to a method for assembling a connector that comprises first and second connectable housings. The method comprises fitting the housings with each other and thereby accumulating in a resilient member of the first housing a biasing force that acts to separate the housings. The method then comprises pushing a pushable portion of the resilient member by a pushing portion of the second housing, and guiding the pushable portion in a direction that intersects the connecting direction to displace the pushable portion to a position where a state pushed by the pushing portion is canceled, thereby moving the resilient member forward, as the housings are connected.
The resilient member, and preferably a movable element thereof, is held in an upwardly sloped inclined posture from its rear end toward its front end when the housings are connected properly.
A movable element of the resilient member may contact a stopper in the first housing and is supported by the outer surface of the second housing while causing the resilient member to accumulate the biasing force when the two housings are properly connected with each other.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that even though embodiments are separately described, single features thereof may be combined to additional embodiments.